The Princess and the Cowboy
by cowgirlangel95
Summary: Season 3 AU to "Heartless": Dani anxiously awaits the news on whether RJ will survive his surgery after the accident at the rodeo


_**A/N: Hey all! This is my first Wildfire fanfic. Never liked that they killed RJ (did anyone?) cause something good finally happens to Dani. Wanted someone to write it but an idea popped into my head and hear it is. This is dedicated to krisfurillo on tumblr. Hope you all enjoy it, I do not own Wildfire or the characters.**_

* * *

Dani looked down in the bull ring, shocked as what just happened. One moment, RJ was throwing his hat in celebration, the next he was on the ground…blood seeping into the dirt around him. Before she knew what she was doing, Dani's legs rushed her down to where her cowboy lay. She weaved in and out of people, and accidentally knocked a few people over on her way down. Dani's eyes looked at the ring once again, watching the EMT's placing RJ on a stretcher. _I have to tell him, I _have_ to!_

A few seconds after, she reached him. Seeing him still like that made her stomach knot up. "RJ? I love you…I love you!" she repeated.

RJ's eyes focused on her face for a few seconds before his eyelids closed. The EMTs brought RJ into the back of the ambulance, and Dani tried to get in the back with him. One of the paramedics stepped in her path. "I'm sorry, miss, you can't be back there."

"What?! I need to be with him!" she cried as she tried to go through the man.

The EMT grabbed her shoulders. "I understand that you're concerned for him. He's lost a lot of blood, and for us to do our job and attempt to save him, we can't have any distractions in the back. Now, you can follow us to the emergency room in your car, alright?" He hopped into the ambulance and closed the door behind him.

Dani turned around to see Junior standing there. "Is he—"

He wasn't able to finish his question due to Dani grabbing ahold of his wrist and dragging him out of the rodeo. "Come on, we're going to the emergency room…NOW!"

Due to Dani's persistence, they reached her car within seconds. They both got into the car, and Dani sped off after the ambulance. So many thoughts raced through her mind. _Is he alright? Is he going to make it? He can't die! Please no!_

The ambulance parked outside the hospital, and the EMT's wheeled RJ inside. Dani and Junior were right behind them, wanting to know the condition of their friend. They weren't told anything as they wheeled him into an examining room.

When one of the EMT's emerged from the room, he told them RJ's condition. "Like I told you at the arena, miss, he's lost a lot of blood. We're not sure how far the horn penetrated; hopefully there won't be much damage to surrounding tissue or organs. They're taking him into surgery now."

Dani lowered herself into a chair beside the room they took RJ in as the EMT walked away from them. Junior lowered himself to Dani's level. "Hey, everything's going to be okay. RJ's a fighter, he'll hang in there."

She looked up at her brother with tear filled eyes. "And what if he doesn't? What if he doesn't make it? I've finally found someone who makes me happy, and now I may lose him forever."

Junior moved to the chair beside his sister, and pulled her head to his shoulder. Once Dani's head reached his shoulder, the tears spilled out and soaked his shirt. Junior placed his arm around her, giving her a comforting hug. They stayed this way for what seemed to be an eternity. Junior didn't know what else to do to comfort Dani. He already tried reassuring her that he'd be alright, but what if Dani was right? What if he didn't make it? The thought of not having his second best friend in his life made Junior's throat swell. He helped Junior through so much.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them. Junior looked up to see a concerned Matt and Kris approaching them.

"Any word on how he's doing?"

Junior shook his head. "Not much that we didn't already know. He's in surgery now."

Kris took a couple of slow steps forward and placed a hand on Dani's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I hope he's okay."

Dani raised her head off her brother's shoulder and glared at her. "Why do you care about what happens in my life?"

Kris shrugged and put her hands in her pockets. "Because I know what it's like to lose someone you care a lot about," she paused as her eyes gazed up at Junior, and then focused back at Dani. "Yeah, I may not like you, but that doesn't mean you deserve this. Everyone deserves some happiness in their lives."

Dani appeared shocked at Kris' answer. Junior did as well. The fact that Kris said that to her nemesis, but the way she looked at _him_.

"Well…I guess we better head back to Raintree," Kris said slowly.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Let us know if you hear anything."

"Will do, man," Junior responded.

When Junior looked down at Dani, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. _Come on RJ, you can do it. _

* * *

Dani was awoken by Junior lifting his shoulder a bit. For a moment she forgot where she was, but remembered when she saw the surgeon standing in front of them. She immediately shot up and gripped her hands tightly. "Well?"

The surgeon ran his hand through his short graying hair. "He made it through the surgery fine. But as you know, he's lost a lot of blood. Because of this, he's slipped into a coma."

"But he'll come out of it, right?" Junior asked.

The doctor shrugged. "If he and God are willing, but the only way to know if he'll come out is to wait and see."

Dani let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. _At least he's not dead…_ "Can I see him?"

"Are you family?"

She shook her head slightly. "Girlfriend."

The surgeon crossed his arms. "Does he have any family that needs to be contacted?"

"None that I know of," Junior responded.

"Alright then…I'll let you see him. Hopefully having you there will help to convince him to come out of the coma."

**Two days later**

Dani hadn't moved from the chair beside RJ's bed since she first sat down in it. RJ had yet to come out of the coma, which made Dani all the more worried. Junior, Matt, and even Kris had come by to check in on her and give her something to eat and comforting words. She wanted him to wake up, but she had no clue how.

Her mind drifted to a book that she read a while ago. She didn't remember much about it, but there was this one scene that she remembered vividly. A man had been in an accident and was severely injured. He wasn't expected to survive. His wife came into his room and spoke to him, despite being in a coma himself. She didn't speak about trivial things, but about her love for him. Soon after, he awoke.

Dani shook her head. This was no time to be thinking about 'fairy tales'. Things like that don't happen in real life. But part of her wanted that to happen.

_Should I try it? It sounds so ridiculous, but what have I got to lose?_

Dani took ahold of RJ's hand. "RJ? Look, I don't know if you can hear me, but I figured I'd give this a shot. It's said that the princess never ends up with the cowboy; it's not possible. I want to prove them wrong. I love you, and I want to be with you. No one in my life has made me feel the way I do for you…" her voice trailed off as a single tear fell from her eye and landed on the bed. "We have to prove them wrong, that the princess can fall for the cowboy."

Dani looked down at the ground and shook her head. _There's no way that…_

Her thought was interrupted by something squeezing her hand gently. She looked at her hand. RJ had tightened his grip. "RJ? Can you hear me?"

A soft moan escaped his lips. Dani's heart started to race. "Come on, RJ. Please wake up."

His eyes started to move beneath his eyelids. Dani stood up and moved closer to his head, still gripping his right hand. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Please, come on…I'm right here."

RJ's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he looked at Dani. "Hi, Princess," he whispered.

Dani's mouth fell open. "Oh gosh, you heard that?"

RJ nodded slightly. "Every word…made me want to open my eyes and see what beautiful lady was talking to me."

Dani laughed as tears of joy spilled from her eyes.

"It looks like the cowboy gets the princess after all."

Dani nodded. "Yeah, it looks like he does," she agreed as she placed a soft kiss on his lips.


End file.
